In many data communication systems, an alert is presented to a user to inform the user that a message has been received and is available to be consumed by the user. For example, a user may be interacting with a personal computer that is executing an email client. When a new email message is received, a dialog box appears on user's monitor and a sound is played through the speakers alerting the user of the new email message. The user can then select the alert (e.g., by clicking) to open the new email message.
Users often have access to several different devices that could consume the message. For example, a user could have one or more of a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities (e.g., a “smartphone”), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an Internet-enabled television (TV), an Internet-enabled appliance (e.g., wireless fridge), or any other type of device. In many cases, multiple devices are capable of consuming the message.
When a message is received from a data communication system, it is not uncommon for the user to receive a separate alert on each of multiple devices. For example, a user may be at home when a new email message is received. The user's mobile phone may play a sound and display a message, the user's tablet may play a sound, the user's TV may display a message, the user's laptop may display a dialog box and play a sound, and/or the user's Internet-enabled appliance may display a message, play a sound, and/or flash a light. Presenting multiple alerts that are related to the same message can be redundant. In addition, receiving multiple alerts can be quite annoying to the user, especially when the alert is received after the message has already been consumed, which may cause confusion.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a technique for delivering alerts that addresses the drawbacks and limitations discussed above.